Siphon.



No. 830,028. PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. W. M. VENABLE.

SIPHO'N.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV.1.1905.

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UN TTED STATES PATENT I orrron.

SIPHON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed November 1, 1906. Serial No. 285,420.

To all 1071 0171, it inctg concern:

Be it known that I, ILLIAM MAYO VEN- ABLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Siphons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in siphons that discharge liquid intermittently; and it may he used in connection with flushtanks, bacteria-beds, dosing-tanks, or other devices where the discharge of a definite quantity of liquid or the discharge of liquid periodic ally is desired.

One of the difficulties encountered in the use of siphons to discharge liquid rapidly at intervals from a receptacle in which it accumulates slowly and continuously is to prevent the slow trickling of the liquid through the siphon without entirely fill ing same in such a manner that the rapid discharge fails to he initiated. Another great difficulty encountered in the'use of siphons to discharge liquid from receptacles of fixed capacity into receptacles of varying capacity, such as bac teria-beds, is the narrow range of adjustment of such siphons as ordinarily constructed.

One object of this invention is to secure the proper discharge of the siphon by constructing it so that the trickling of liquid through it cannot take place without initiating the rapid discharge.

Another object is to provide a simpler means for causing the discharge than is commonly employed.

Another object is to provide means for regulating the quantity of water discharged by the siphon at each discharge over a wide range.

The accompanying figures illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section through the apparatus in simple form, in which all of the passages for liquid are located in one plane. This form is taken for illustration because it affords the simplest and clearest illustration of the invention. It may not be desirable in practice to locate all of the passages in one plane, and such is by no means necessary; butit is necessary that the various parts of the apparatus shall bear qualitatively the relations of elevation to one another shown in the drawings and described in the language of the specification. Fig. 2 represents the apparatus in a section similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but with a different proportioning of parts.

As shown in Fig. 1, 1 is a receptacle for accumulating liquid to be discharged. 2 is a siphon for discharging same, composed of the principal passage a b 0 (Z cf g, which forms a channel for the major portion of the liquid when the siphon is discharging. In this passage (L represents the point where-liquid enters the siphon; g, the point where it emerges from the siphon; I), (i, and], vertical portions of the passage, and c and a horizontal portions of the passage. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 represent auxiliary passages in the siphon by means of which the objects of this invention are secured. 3 is a passage connecting the portion cl with the portion e or the portion f throughthc nozzle 4. 5 is another passage connecting the portion 0 with the passage 3 immediately behind the nozzle 4 by a smaller nozzle 6. The arrangement of the nozzles 4 and 6 is such that liquid running through the portion 0 at a rate not sullicient to fill same, but suflicient to fill the passage 5 or the lower part thereof, will emerge from the nozzle 6 with sul'licient velocity to carry on with it through the nozzle 4 a portion of the air or liquid contained in 3. 9 is the inclosed space between the nozzles 6 and 4. 7 is another passage connecting the nozzle 6 with the receptacle 1. I, K, L, M, and N represent ele vations of the liquid in the parts shown at certain times during the operation of the siphon, as hereinafter described.

"he operation of the siphon is as follows: First, in case the passage 7 is omitted or closed the siphon is first filled with liquid to the elevation I, which is the same as that of the point 9. Liquid entering the receptacle 1 entraps the air in the siphon 2 and the passages 3 and 5 as soon as it accumulates to seal the entrance a. Thereafter the accumulation of liquid in 1 causes liquid to rise in b, and as the entrapped air cannot escape it forces the liquid down in d, 3, and 5, so that it rises in f and escapes at g. This continues until the liquid has risen high enough in b to flow into the passage 0. The elevations of liquid are then as follows: Inf at I, in d, 3, and 5 at K, in b at L, in 1 at M. As soon, however, as liquid runs through a into 5 a jet passes through the nozzles 6 and 4, drawing air out of 3, and consequently out of d. This at once causes liquid to flow through c in larger quantity until the siphon 2 is set in opdesired.

eration. 2 then discharges the receptacle 1 until the liquid in 1 falls below the entrance 0 and air is admitted again to the siphon 2. If necessary to insure the complete filling of 2 with air after the liquid again seals the entrance (1, a sniff-hole 8 may be provided, if

If it is desired to adjust the quantity of liquid that accumulates in 1 before the siphon commences to discharge, the regulating-passage 7 is employed. This passage rises in 1 to the elevation N, at which it is desired that the discharge take place. As long as the passage 7 is above the level of the li v uid in 1 the liquid stands in it at the level I; but as soon as the liquid flows into 7 at the elevation N the jets at 6 and 4 are set in operation and the discharge of the siphon initiated. The passage 7 may be made of any convenient section, as the elevation of its top N is the only element in its design that afiects the regulation of the siphon but the sections of the passages 3, 5, b, and (1 must bear such relations to one another that when liquid in b is at the elevation L the elevation K in (Z, 3, and 5 will be only a very little above the horizontal passage e in order that the jet at 4 may not be required to perform too much work. In order that the device may operate at all, the head K L must be greater than the difier- :ence of elevation between the outlet 9 and the nozzle 6, as the velocity of the jet at 6 is due to the difference between these heads. By varying thelength of 7 the dose may be adjusted, and this adj ustability may be made to cover a very wide range by proportioning the various limbs of the siphon 2 to secure same. Instead of communicating with the receptacle 1 the passage 7 may be connected with any convenient source of supply of liquid independent of 1 to cause the discharge of the contents of 1 at such times as may be desired. When the difference in elevation between g and a is sufiiciently large, there is no difficulty in ejecting the air from d, so as v to cause the siphon to operate over a wide range of adjustment of the elevation I but when the difierence in elevation between 9 and ais very slight it sometimes becomes di'l'licult to secure suflicient head to operate the jet at 6 so as to expel the air from 3 through the nozzle 4. To overcome this difficulty, I may make the receptacle 9 which is the inclosed space between the nozzles 6 and 4, much larger than would otherwise be required or attach to it a large receptacle or make the lower portion of 3 large, so as to secure a receptacle of any desired capacity communicating with 3 at its lower portion. Fig. 2 represents such an arrangement. In Fig. 2 parts corresponding to those in Fig. 1 bear the same numbers, but are primed to distinguish them in this description. In the case shown in Fig. 2 it is not' so important how far 6 may be below the elevation K. The jet at 4 commences to operate when the liquid rises to L in I). At that moment the level of the liquid in d, 9, and 5 is at K; but as soon as the liquid flows into 5 and operates the jet the level in 9 is lowered, air enters 9 from 3 and 2, and a rush of liquid starts through 2, carrying with it the rest of the air and causing the siphon to discharge.

WVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a siphon, a principal passage through which liquid may be discharged, arranged to entrap air after the discharge ceases, in combination with means for withdrawing entrapped air, operated by a jet of liquid from within the upper limb of the siphon.

2. In a siphon, a principal passage through which liquid may be discharged, arranged to entrap air after the discharge ceases, in combination with means for withdrawing entrapped air, operated by a jet of liquid from a receptacle to be discharged by the siphon.

3. In a siphon, a principal passage through which liquid may be discharged, arranged to entrap air after the discharge ceases, in combination with means for withdrawing entrapped air, operated by a jet of liquid from without the siphon supplemented by liquid from the upper limb of the siphon.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. MAYO VENABLE. IVitnesses: IRA E. BREWER,

EDWIN I HARDING. 

